Revista Latin Trade articles from July 1999

Revista Latin Trade archives from July 1999

GRUPO MODELO.
July 1, 1999... A GLOBAL COMPANY WITH GLOBAL CUSTOMERS From Santiago to Sydney, from Prague to Paris, Grupo Modelo is setting the benchmark for global companies whose goal is international market domination. Smart merchandising, seamless distribution...

Latin Trade's New Look.
July 1, 1999... SUCCESSFUL MAGAZINES GO THROUGH growth stages. At LATIN TRADE, now in our 7th year, circulation has surpassed 100,000 copies, advertising revenues are hitting record levels, and the editorial focus is sharper than ever. Time to mark how far we...

LETTERS.
July 1, 1999... Ecuador: Everybody's Fault MANY SAW COMING WHAT'S HAPPENING IN ECUADOR, BUT FEW DID ANYTHING BUT POINT FINGERS. (Economic Meltdown, MAY 1999) WHO IS AT FAULT HERE? IS IT THE COMPILATION OF BAD GOVERNMENTS WHO, IN THEIR DESIRE TO GAIN MORE...

UNDEPLETED RESERVES.
July 1, 1999... Shortly after Repsol Chairman Alfonso Cortina launched a US$13 billion bid to takeover Argentina's YPF, the Spanish energy executive reportedly entered talks to acquire Terpel, a Colombian fuel distributor, for an estimated $400 million. The...

IBM.
July 1, 1999... IBM and Te1efonica de Espana inked a deal, but details have yet to be fully hammered out. IBM is expected to provide computer hardware to store, manage and distribute data, voice and music over Telefonica's Internet network to business...

BRITISH TELECOM.
July 1, 1999... BRITISH TELECOM (BT) acquired a 20% stake in ImpSat, an Argentine telecommunications company, for about US$145 million. ImpSat sells voice, data, Internet and e-commerce services to 1,500 corporate customers in major cities in Argentina,...

STARMEDIA NETWORK.
July 1, 1999... STARMEDIA NETWORK is launching online sales of books, computers and other items through its Spanish-and Portuguese-language Web sites. In a related move, StarMedia formed a partnership with Sports Superstore Online, an Internet-based retailer....

PRICEWATERKOUSECOOPERS.
July 1, 1999... PRICEWATERKOUSECOOPERS says Latin America and Europe are the world's hottest private equity markets this year. A survey of 67 investors from 50 private equity firms say they will stick most of their money in telecommunications, consumer...

THE WORLD BANK.
July 1, 1999... THE WORLD BANK says average growth rates in developing countries will likely fall to 1.5% this year, down from 1.9% last year and 4.8% in 1997. Bank officials blame declines in trade growth, slumping commodity prices and tightened long-term...

FOX SPORTS LATIN AMERICA.
July 1, 1999... FOX SPORTS LATIN AMERICA recently signed distribution agreements with Peru's Cable Magico and Mexico's PCTV boosting its distribution in Latin America to 9.1 million households.

CROWLEY MARINE SERVICES PARAGUAY.
July 1, 1999... CROWLEY MARINE SERVICES PARAGUAY, a shipping and logistics company, launched a new feeder barge service to meet Mercosur demands. The service will operate along river systems in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay connecting Buenos Aires, Montevideo...

KUSHNER-LOCKE CO.
July 1, 1999... KUSHNER-LOCKE CO., a U.S.-based producer of feature films, closed deals with two cable companies--PCTV in Mexico and Swen International in Brazil--to broadcast Gran Canal Latino, a newly launched 24-hour channel featuring Latin American films....

GLOBAL DATATEL.
July 1, 1999... GLOBAL DATATEL will offer online stock trading through its portal www.ehola.com to its Latin American subscribers. The company teamed with Patagon.com International of Argentina to offer the service, which allows customers to buy and sell stock...

SKY LATIN AMERICA.
July 1, 1999... SKY LATIN AMERICA, a pan-regional satellite television company, is partnering with Telecom Argentina to bring direct-to-home satellite television service to Argentina The two companies plan to spend at least US$120 million to launch a joint...

BANCO DE LA NACION.
July 1, 1999... BANCO DE LA NACION, a state-owned bank in Argentina, received a US$43 million loan from the World Bank to help it fix Y2K computer problems.

LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES.
July 1, 1999... LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES signed a US$40.8 million deal with CTI Movil of Argentina to provide wireless Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) equipment. CTI is in the first stage of installing a national digital mobile telephone network CTI has...

THE WORLD BANK.
July 1, 1999... THE WORLD BANK and Global Environment Facility are providing Argentina with US$40 million in loans and grants to give an estimated 70,000 people a source of electricity The bank estimates that 2.8 million people living in rural Argentina--just...

SHOWCASE CINEMAS.
July 1, 1999... SHOWCASE CINEMAS, a part of National Amusements, will double its movie screens in Argentina to 58 by year's end and build 50 more screens by the end of the year 2000. The company is building cinemas in the cities of La Plata, Mendoza, Rosario,...

IFX CORP.
July 1, 1999... IFX CORP., through its subsidiary Emerging Networks, was granted a license by the Argentine government to sell data and telecommunications services. The company plans to sell Internet services to the Argentine market.

COMPANHIA DE GAS DE SAO PAULO.
July 1, 1999... COMPANHIA DE GAS DE SAO PAULO (Comgas), Brazil's largest natural gas distributor, was acquired for about US$1 billion by a consortium of British and Dutch companies. It was the first privatization in Brazil since the devaluation of the currency...

HANGING TOUGH.
July 1, 1999... The Brazilian economy shrank only 1% in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago, the Brazilian government reported. Most analysts had expected the maxi-devaluation of the real to push the nation's GDP deep into...

THE GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL.
July 1, 1999... THE GOVERNMENT OF BRAZIL is looking to raise $1 billion through an U.S.-dollar denominated Global Bonds offering due 2004. Salomon Smith Barney and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter are handling the issue.

INEPAR GROUP.
July 1, 1999... INEPAR GROUP, of Brazil, is consolidating its subsidiary, Iridium Brasil, into Inepar Telecom, its holding for telecommunications investments. The new entity will finance operations by issuing US$239 million in convertible debentures. Inepar...

CONCESSIONARIA DA RODOVIA DOS LAGOS.
July 1, 1999... CONCESSIONARIA DA RODOVIA DOS LAGOS received a US$29.3 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank and Santander Investment to expand and operate a 60-kilometer toll road connecting Rio Bonito, Araurama and Sao Pedro da Aldeia in the...

VULCABRAS DO NORDESTE.
July 1, 1999... VULCABRAS DO NORDESTE, a Brazilian shoe manufacturer, received a US$20 million loan from the International Finance Corporation to finance the company's plans to relocate its manufacturing facilities from Sao Paulo to the northeastern state of...

THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION.
July 1, 1999... THE INTERNATIONAL FINANCE CORPORATION made its first investment in Brazil's healthcare industry by pumping US$6.25 million into Brazilian holding company Innovative Health Services, which is seeking to promote companies in the sector. IFC...

INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS.
July 1, 1999... INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE HOLDINGS, a U.S.-based healthcare company, acquired Med-Saude, a health maintenance organization in Curitiba with 2,000 customers. More importantly, Med-Saude has an agreement with labor union federations representing...

CHILQUINTA.
July 1, 1999... CHILQUINTA, a diversified company based in Chile, sold its subsidiary Chilquinta Energia, an electricity distributer, to two U.S. companies--Sempra Energy and Public Services Enterprise Group--for US$830 million. Chilquinta Energia is the...

MGM NETWORKS.
July 1, 1999... MGM NETWORKS LATIN AMERICA and the Chilean cable network Metropolis-Intercom signed a distribution alliance. The Chilean network will broadcast two channels--Casa Club TV and MGM--to its 250,000 subscribers.

UNION FENOSA.
July 1, 1999... UNION FENOSA, a Spanish power company, and U.S.-based AES outbid several other companies to buy 50% shares of three Dominican distribution companies. The companies were spun off from the Dominican Republic's struggling state-owned power...

COPPER-SILVER ALLOY.
July 1, 1999... Corporacion Nacional del Cobre de Chile (Codelco), the state-owned copper giant, and Mexico's Penoles, one of the world's largest private silver mining firms, are working together for the first time ever, launching a 51/49 joint venture to...

COMPAQ'S HOT SPOT.
July 1, 1999... At Compaq, Latin America is cause for celebration. Dataquest, which tracks sales of personal computers in the region, says Compaq sold more than 168,000 units in the first quarter of 1999, preserving its 19% market share. Its closest competitor...

ATLANTIC RICHFIELD.
July 1, 1999... ATLANTIC RICHFIELD, Oryx Energy, Occidental Petroleum and Argentina's YPF signed an agreement with the government of Ecuador to build a crude oil pipeline at a cost of US$400 million.

COMISION FEDERAL DE ELECTRICIDAD.
July 1, 1999... COMISION FEDERAL DE ELECTRICIDAD (CFE), a state-owned power company, is investing US$65 million to develop 16 substations in the eastern part of Mexico. One substation will be located in the state of Aguascalientes; two will be in Colima; five...

GRUPO TRIBASA.
July 1, 1999... GRUPO TRIBASA and Enron formed a partnership to develop water, transportation and energy projects in Latin America. As part of the deal. Enron will loan Tribasa US$27 million in exchange for an equity stake in Tribasa.

GRUPO ELEKTRA.
July 1, 1999... GRUPO ELEKTRA, the Mexican retailer, sold 11 Salinas y Rocha department stores to El Puerto de Liverpool for $27 million. Grupo Elektra bought the entire Salinas y Rocha chain in March for $78 million. Liverpool owns 30 stores in Mexico.

METRONET.
July 1, 1999... METRONET, which owns and operates a fiber optic network in Mexico City, received US$5.1 million in financing from a group of Mexican investors to expand operations. The transaction was handled by U.S.-based Communications Equity Associates.

NEW JERSEY.
July 1, 1999... NEW JERSEY opened a trade office in Mexico City, following a recent three-day trade mission, where firms based in New Jersey generated business leads worth an estimated US$300 million. Mexico is the state's sixth largest trading partner. Last...

CONSOLIDATED FREIGHTWAYS.
July 1, 1999... CONSOLIDATED FREIGHTWAYS, a trucking and logistics company expanded its Mexico division by centralizing its operations in San Antonio, Texas, and opening four border gateways at Chula Vista and Calexico in California and Douglas and Nogales in...

INFOBANCA.
July 1, 1999... INFOBANCA. That's the name of a new pan-regional Spanish-language banking and finance technology magazine being launched as part of a joint venture by Thomson Financial Services and High Tech Editores, a Mexican publishing company. The new...

THE GOVERNMENT OF PANAMA.
July 1, 1999... THE GOVERNMENT OF PANAMA sold $500 million worth of 30-year global bonds on global markets. The issue is the country's first benchmark bond offering since April 1998. JP Morgan and Salomon Smith Barney handled the transaction.

BELLSOUTH.
July 1, 1999... BELLSOUTH, the U.S. telecommunications giant, is buying additional shares of Tele2000, a local telecom company, for US$16 million. It will now own about 75% of the company.

WILPRO.
July 1, 1999... WILPRO, a U.S,-based consortium that includes energy companies Williams and Schlumberger, signed a US$400 million natural gas project deal with state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Wilpro will be responsible for building and...

WENDY'S INTERNATIONAL.
July 1, 1999... WENDY'S INTERNATIONAL, the U.S. fast-food restaurant chain, will spend US$8 million to build eight restaurants--for a total of 30 outlets in Venezuela.

CORPORACION INDUSTRIAL CARABOBO.
July 1, 1999... CORPORACION INDUSTRIAL CARABOBO, a diversified Venezuelan company, and H.L. Boulton & Co., a logistics company are merging. Corporacion Industrial Carabobo has stakes in Aerovias Venezolanas (Avensa), Ceramica Carabobo, Industrias Venoco,...

NIXED TEL.
July 1, 1999... Empresa Nicaraguense de Telecomunicaciones (Enitel), the state-owned phone company, is for sale, but no bidders for a 40% stake have emerged. Mexico's Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) recently withdrew from the running due to insufficient...

Regal Recovery.
July 1, 1999... AFTER LOSING ITS CROWN LAST YEAR, JP MORGAN appears to be regaining its coveted title as Latin America's king of mergers and acquisitions. The investment bank, which was the top M&A advisor in the region from 1994-1997, ranked number one again...

Zoned Out.
July 1, 1999... ASIDE FROM THE CANAL, PANAMA IS known mainly for the Col6n Free Zone, a 980-acre compound situated at the Caribbean entrance to the deepwater channel. The zone is home to 1,600 businesses that ship goods around the world and operate in...

Toxic Shock.
July 1, 1999... METALCLAD CORP. HAS GONE RADIOACTIVE over what the company calls unfair treatment by the Mexican state government of San Luis Potosi. The U.S. hazardous waste handler plans to pull out of Mexico after Potosi officials prevented the company...

HEALTH CRAZE?
July 1, 1999... More Latin Americans are heading to their local pharmacies for over-the-counter drugs, says international market analyst Euromonitor. Fueling the demand is increasing health awareness and faster-paced lifestyles in the region. ...

Born in East L.A.
July 1, 1999... IN NEIGHBORHOODS LIKE BALDWIN PARK, PICO Rivera, el Monte and Rosemead in East Los Angeles, small taco stands sell Michoacanstyle carnitas every Sunday and other Mexican dishes throughout the week. Last Cinco de Mayo, though, Mexican...

BIG COMPANY WATCH.
July 1, 1999... BIG COMPANY WATCH Latin American sales in US$ millions Company % CHANGE IQ98/IQ99 SALES IQ99 Percent of total sales KELLOGG 6.3...

Unfinished Business.
July 1, 1999... After running Latin America's largest company, what do you do next? Luis Giusti, former CEO of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PD VSA), has a lot of free time since resigning his post following President Hugo Chavez's landslide victory...

The Agricultural Ties That Bind.
July 1, 1999... Sales of agricultural products have increased as a percentage of total exports for Latin America's leading farm economies in recent years, according to the World Trade Organization. Honduras, Nicaragua, Argentina and Paraguay were the only...

Diaper Run.
July 1, 1999... Drypers has battled price wars, fires and devaluations to soak up a significant stake in Latin America's disposable-diaper market. Over the last year, latin america has been doing to Drypers Corp. what babies do to their diapers. ...

Does Jamil Know?
July 1, 1999... With Ecuador's economy crumbling everyone is blaming the year-old administration of President Jamil Mahuad. WHEN OSWALDO QUITAMA PAINTED HIS NAME ON THE FRONT of his carpet store 10 years ago, it was because he was proud of his business....

Down the Amazon.
July 1, 1999... Brazil's Andre Maggi group has discovered a faster, cheaper way to get its soybeans to international markets. JUST EAST OF MANAUS, THE DARK, RAPID Black River meets the creamy tranquil Solimoes. The two clash for about five miles in the...

Grid Locked.
July 1, 1999... With Peru's economy in a down cycle and elections less than a year away, President Fujimori is unplugging his electricity privatization program. LAST MARCH, DURING A RATHER INNOCUOUS VISIT WITH THE Japanese ambassador to San Gaban, a...

CONTROL RISKS GROUP.
July 1, 1999... HELPING COMPANIES IN VEST WISELY IN LATIN AMERICA Latin America's infamous reputation for political instability, corruption and social unrest has now been replaced by a more realistic appreciation of the region's profound progress and...

Mi Casa es tu Casa.
July 1, 1999... Mexico's Corporacion GEO is aggressively going after the affordable home market north of the border. FOR MANY PEOPLE LIVING IN BORDER towns across the United States, owning their own home is part of the American dream. But with incomes...

Coming of Age.
July 1, 1999... The Mendoza region in Argentina is fast becoming the next Napa Valley. THE SOUND OF TRACTORS AND EARTH-LEVELERS CAN BE heard virtually all around the once-sleepy town of Tupungato, a traditional walnut-growing area nestled in the foothills...

TAMPA an international HUB.
July 1, 1999... WITH ITS AWARD-WINNING AIRPORT, BUSTLING seaport and cosmopolitan atmosphere, Tampa is the international business center for Florida's Gulf Coast. "We offer a number of advantages to companies in Latin America and the Caribbean doing...

TOP 100 COMPANIES.
July 1, 1999... PUBLICLY TRADED IN LATIN AMERICA EXICO'S CEMEX HAS THRIVED ON THE SORT OF TUMULT facing companies in Latin America this year. CEO Lorenzo Zambrano considers market downturns more than a fact of life in an increasingly global economy--he...

Gold Rush.
July 1, 1999... Buenaventura CEO: Alberto Benavides Market Value: US$921 million Growth since 1993:344% There was probably no company president in Peru more relieved to see the last remnants of La Nina than Compania de Minas Buenaventura CEO...

Hot Lines.
July 1, 1999... Ericsson CEO: Gerhard Weise Market value: $722 million Growth since 1993:309% When the Brazilian government moved to privatize Ericsson's longtime customer Telebras into 12 separate phone companies and grant new cellular...

Cash-flow Conservative.
July 1, 1999... Organizacion Soriana CEO: Ricardo Martin Bringas Market value: $2.1 billion Growth since 1993:283% In this day and age of investor relations, international alliances and debt-financed expansions, Ricardo Martin Bringas, head...

Early Retirement.
July 1, 1999... Provida CEO: Alvaro Saieh Market Value: $316 million Growth since 1993:229% Alvaro Saieh doesn't hold the title of CEO at AFP Provida, but he has definitely been the driving force behind Chile's largest pension fund with...

Seamless Monopoly.
July 1, 1999... Siderca CEO: Agostino Rocca Market Value: $1.1 billion Growth since 1993: 197% Agostino Rocca's secret to success with Siderca has been to corner the market on seamless steel pipe, widely used in the oil and gas industry...

Branching out.
July 1, 1999... Banco Provincial CEO: Juan Carlos Zorrilla Market Value: $659 million Growth since 1993: 87% Being number one in Venezuela didn't mean much after the banks started to collapse in 1994--half the system either went into...

Family ties.
July 1, 1999... Bavaria CEO: Andres Obreg6n Santo Domingo Market Value: $1.2 billion Growth since 1993:82% Andres Obregon Santo Domingo took the helm of Bavaria in February and is faced with a seemingly simple job: keep the far-and-away...

TOP 25 BY PROFITS.
July 1, 1999... TOP 25 BY PROFITS Ranked by net income as of December 31 1998, in US$ millions. RANK RANK COMPANY COUNTRY 99 98 1 3 Telmex Mexico 2 2 Eletrobras ...

TOP 25 BY ASSETS.
July 1, 1999... TOP 25 BY ASSETS Ranked by assets as of December 31 1998, in US$ millions. RANK RANK COMPANY COUNTRY 99 98 1 1 Eletrobras Brazil 2 2 Itausa ...

TOP 25 BY MARKET CAPITALIZATION.
July 1, 1999... TOP 25 BY MARKET CAPITALIZATION Ranked by market capitalization as of December 31 1998, in US$ millions RANK RANK COMPANY COUNTRY MAIN ACTIVITIES 99 98 1 3 Telmex ...

REINVENTING CENTRAL AMERICA.
July 1, 1999... Central America's empresarios are fighting back against foreign invaders with regional integration. MAURICIO MENDIETA NEVER IMAGined he would earn a living cooking chicken. Trained as a plastic surgeon, he left his native Nicaragua for...

Panama offers investment opportunities as Canal treaties take effect.
July 1, 1999... AS THE NEW MILLENNIUM APPROACHES, THE Republic of Panama is entering a new era that has caught the eyes of investors around the world and ultimately will transform the Central American nation into a major economic center. The last of the...

COSTA RICAN JAVA.
July 1, 1999... Heavy duty, high-tech investment yields a bumper crop of software in the Central American country WHEN JORGE SEQUEIRA AND CLAUDIO PINTO DECIDED IN 1987 to try their luck competing in the arena of software they had just their two personal...

GRAY MARKET.
July 1, 1999... After invading Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize, foreign retirees arrive in Nicaragua seeking cheap real estate. FOR BRAD BOOTH, A FORMER SALES manager in the U.S., one factor outweighed all others in his decision to retire in Nicaragua:...

Tawdry TV.
July 1, 1999... Brazilian programming gets gross as networks mud-wrestle for fewer ads. BRAZILIAN TELEVISION'S NEWEST SUPERSTAR IS a dark-haired woman known as "Tiazinha" (Auntie), who dresses in sexy lingerie, stiletto heels and a harlequin mask. For the...

OUTSOURCING THE BILLS.
July 1, 1999... XEROX'S CORPORATE MAKE-over from stodgy copier company to savvy information manager extends to Latin America, where the U.S. firm has signed outsourcing agreements with some large companies in Argentina and Brazil. Brazil's Unibanco and Safra...

THE HEAVY HAND V. THE INVISIBLE HAND.
July 1, 1999... Police stopped distribution of Chilean journalist Alejandra Matus's new publication, The Black Book of Chilean Justice, just one day after the April launch. As the timeline shows, censorship in the age of the Internet is not what it used to be....

CLASSIFIED COMPETITOR.
July 1, 1999... A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN A FORMER RACING DRIVER TURNED USED CAR SALESMAN and a web page designer has given birth to www.multiusados.com, Latin America's first cyberspace used car emporium. The site competes against Bogota's daily newspapers to...

STRATEGIC LOSSES?
July 1, 1999... INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP.'S personal-computer division plans to expand manufacturing operations in Mexico and Brazil, while analysts question whether the U.S. technology firm should be in the computer-making business at all. Even...

FOUNDING FATHERS.
July 1, 1999... http://constituyente.cantv.net/ The official site of Venezuela's National Constitutional Assembly promises to post relevant documents and news about its task of drawing up a new Constitution. Time will tell how objective the data is; but...

MEGA SEARCH.
July 1, 1999... www.buscopio.com Web heads say local search engines are the best way to find creative local content. But how do you find the local search engine? Buscopio claims to link 2,665 search engines sorted by country and specialty, from the study...